Today’s batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal:
Question: I’ve seen several times at the Omni Grove Park Inn a framed contract with the federal government that would let the operation of the United States Supreme Court move into the GPI in the event the government could not operate from Washington, D.C. Is that contract still in force, and would the insurrection of Jan. 6 have been an event that would have qualified the usage of the Grove Park Inn?
My answer: Thanks for the visual I just got of all nine justices sharing a hot tub at the Grove Park Inn's spa. Man, I cannot unsee that...
Real answer: This is a fascinating little piece of Asheville history, driven by fears during the Cold War of an attack on our nation's capital.
The Grove Park Inn, a landmark grand hotel in North Asheville, does indeed have a framed agreementdated April 3, 1956, that spells out the U.S. Supreme Court's intention to use the hotel in the event of an attack. Naturally, it's full of legalese, so bear with me here while I quote some of the contract.
The document makes reference "to the confidential discussions heretofore had between our respective representatives.
"In pursuance thereof, the United States of America, acting by and through the Supreme Court of the United States, represented by the undersigned as contracting officer, hereby proposes to acquire the right to use and occupy the facilities described in the enclosure hereto, marked Exhibit 'A', as hereinafter provided," the agreement letter reads, referring to the inn.
"In the event of an an enemy attack or the imminence thereof and upon notice verbal or written to such effect, by an authorized representative of the Government, it is understood and agreed that you will permit The Supreme Court of the United States immediately to take possession of the facilities described in Exhibit 'A'. As soon as possible thereafter, the Government will enter into negotiation with you for the execution of a formal lease covering the rights and obligations of the parties with respect to the aforementioned facilities and providing fair compensation for the use thereof by the Government commencing with its initial occupancy. Such formal lease or other instrument will be negotiated by General Services Administration."
The letter also says the government will not be responsible for expenses incurred by the Grove Park Inn, and that "from time to time due to changed conditions," the parties might have to add or delete facilities the court can use.
It's signed by Harold B. Willey, clerk and contracting officer for the Supreme Court.
I reached out to Susan Rotante, spokeswoman with the Grove Park Inn, to ask about all this. She emailed me photos of the contract.
"The contract has never been retracted," Rotante said via email. "As far as the Jan. 6 insurrection and qualified usage of the Omni Grove Park Inn, please reach out to the Supreme Court on that matter as it’s not within our authority to define."
I did contact the Supreme Court's media office about two weeks ago, but as of publication deadline I hadn't heard anything back. If I hear from them, I'll run an update.
Rotante also referred me to a quite entertaining piece the Wall Street Journal wrote about all of this in May 2013. Written by Jess Bravin, the article had a great lead.
"Asheville, N.C., is where Moog synthesizers are made, where George Vanderbilt erected his Biltmore mansion and where Thomas Wolfe set 'Look Homeward, Angel.' And if North Korea ever starts firing missiles at America, the Blue Ridge Mountains town could also become home to the U.S. Supreme Court."
"That's because the court has plans to relocate to Asheville in the event 'of enemy attack or the imminence thereof on Washington,'according to once-secret documents unearthed by Cold War trivia maven Bill Geerhart."
The article references the 1956 agreement, and it offers one of the best descriptions of the Grove Park Inn I've ever read, referring to it as "a sprawling pile built of granite boulders along a mountainside..."
I don't think the inn uses this portrayal in its marketing materials, but it'd be great if it did: "Wornout by the pandemic and the stresses of modern life? Come relax at our sprawling pile of granite boulders carefully built along an Asheville mountainside."
The article noted the inn still considers itself bound by the agreement, as it has no termination date. The Journal also said aSupreme Court spokeswoman "declined to confirm whether the relocation plan remains in effect, or to comment further," so I'm not alone in being ignored.
The Journal also contacted several current and retired justices who "said they were unaware the court had readied for the first Monday after Armageddon."
Justice Samuel Alito told the paper, "My wife has been suggesting a trip to Asheville for some time, but I don't think this is what she has had in mind."
Willey, the Supreme Court clerk, spearheaded the effort, the Journal reported, as he had "visitedAsheville in 1955 after the Pentagon, which had used the Grove Park Inn to intern Axis diplomats during World War II, recommended the hotel as a relocation site.
"Because all large cities are considered to be prospective enemy targets, a hotel in a secluded small city, wherein approximately one hundred people could both live and work, with spaces available for a courtroom and clerical offices, seems a most appropriate facility for the Court,"Willey told Chief Justice Earl Warren in an October 1955 memorandum, the Journal reported.
Warren, on June 12, 1956, asked Willey, who was retiring, to ensure his successor was familiar with the plans "for actually establishing the Court at Asheville should the need to do so confront us. That should be one of his first projects," the Journal reported.
Of course, it didn't hurt that the Grove Park Inn had a nice golf course attached to it.
Alas, Warren lost interest, the paper said, noting in a 1962 memo from the clerk that no preparations had been made to provide the facilities and supplies a relocated court would need .
The clerk said the Court did not "have the funds to establish the necessary facilities and to duplicate our records in Asheville," the Journal reported.
The Grove Park has two copies of the agreementon display. Rotante said one isin the Vanderbilt Wing, "in the hallway directly off of the Great Hall on the Vanderbilt side that we refer to as the 'Memorabilia Walkway,'and in the Presidents Lounge located in the Sammons Wing."
While the Supreme Court isn't responding to questions about the agreement, the Omni Grove Park Inn remains ready to host the court, should the need arise. At the bottom of the framed agreement, the Inn has a brief explainerthat ends with this assessment regarding the Wall Street Journal's article and the status of the contract:
"The Inn acknowledged that the contract has no termination date and that there are no known records of cancelation. Therefore, The Omni Grove Park Inn remains happily bound to welcome the Court should there ever be need."
This is the opinion of John Boyle. To submit a question, contact him at 232-5847 or jboyle@citizen-times.com
